Design of War Ender - Level 3-3
Originally published March 1st, 2021
Gotta go really fast.
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Here's a fun fact for you! In the time between the last War Ender level dissection and this one, I've gotten some new parts on my computer, that being some RAM, a 1 TB hard drive, and a 512 GB SSD. In the process of installing these, I decided to set up a completely clean build of Windows, meaning any data I didn't have saved or backed up elsewhere would be gone (don't worry, I saved all my project data). I neglected to get my War Ender save data backed up too, meaning that in order to write this blog I had to play through the whole game again up to this level. Fortunately, I have the perk of being the game's developer, so I can get to where I want to be fairly quickly. And I must admit, it was pretty fun speedrunning my way through the game. I don' think I've done that since the days when I was actually developing War Ender.
Speaking of speedrunning, let's talk about Level 3-3, the fastest level in the game. One of the few scrolling levels in the game, 3-3 moves at a blistering pace, and it requires almost constant movement to get through effectively. On the flip side, the different parts of each level are fairly short, so once you get the rythm of the level down it doesn't take a lot of time to get through it. It's just getting acquainted with the speed of the level that makes it hard to newcomers.
Let's try to break it down, at least as much as possible given how quickly the level goes by. The first part of the level is very straightforward – it's just to get the player acquainted with the pacing of the level. As a result, there isn't a lot of challenge to be found here. I can see it killing a player a few times but it likely won't take long to get accustomed to everything and reach the first checkpoint. The second section, true to the typical War Ender formula, asks more out of your platforming abilities than the ability to dodge bullets. Mind you, there's still a combat focused section here, but it's a small part of an already short lived level. There's a few disappearing platforms with some rocket turrets perched above and below to help encourage moving forward, in case the fast moving level scroll wasn't doing that for you. Closer to the end, you're asked to get across a gap using two small platforms, both of them having mines. Do all this, and you'll demonstrate the platforming needed to get through the level.
The third section is where things truly start to heat up. There's a lot more enemies that the player has to avoid all the while trying to maintain pace with the scrolling level. A new enemy type is even introduced here...but this was quite honestly the worst level to introduce a new enemy in. For reference, the new enemy is the homing bullet shooter. Homing bullets are not new to you, as they were featured in one of RAWM's attacks, but now you might just find an enemy that can fire these as well. They'll become more prominent in later levels. Truth be told, I'm not really sure why I tried introducing them here. This is not a level meant for introducing new concepts. My guess is I was thinking players had seen homing bullets before and the enemy type was so similar to regular shooters that the lack of a real introduction made some sense.
But, back to the level. The third section has a bit more of a combat focus this time, with various enemies coming in to try and stop you in your tracks. Get past them, and there's a string of torches and mines seperating you and the next checkpoint. I always kind of liked this part, as it was all about using the dodge move to rush past the torches and mines and get to the checkpoint. But, you can't waste any time between dodges, and you still need to make sure to position yourself correctly between each one. I've placed torches like this throughout the game, but I think this level has one of the most extreme versions of this idea.
Lastly, the fourth and final section of 3-3. Similar to the third section, it's another fast moving gauntlet of enemies and obstacles. And there's quite a few enemies too, so getting through it unscathed would be quite the demonstration of mastery. I designed it with a fairly strict path to progression in mind. My thought process was, after the initial platforming, drop down into the pit where the enemies are and shoot forward, dodging past torches as needed. That's why I placed Obsessors near the top and rocket turrets in the middle. Ignore the moving turret, and just lunge forward. Dodge past some pyro attacks and a few mines and a torch, and the level is complete. Phew!
This level is kind of hard to just take in and analyze due to the fast speed of it all, but I'll try to get the basic idea of it. In short, this level was all about going fast. While there's some enemies that need taking care of throughout 3-3, combat is not at all the focus here. I instead placed more of an emphasis on dodging past obstacles and swift platforming. That's why so many of the platforms are of the disappearing variety, since the goal is to keep the player moving. I make liberal use of torches and mines here to encourage dodging throughout the level. By this point, dodging should be a big part of the gameplay loop, but it's always good to reinforce that whenever possible. All of this is to help encourage a mindset that will be needed again very soon, because the next boss of War Ender asks for a lot of movement out of the player in order to defeat him. Think of this obstacle course as getting your twitch reflexes ready for the Cyborg Soldier.
So, that's what we'll look at the next time we open up War Ender again. I do enjoy talking about the design of boss battles, so it's almost a shame that War Ender only has a few. But, in a game like this, bosses aren't the central focus so it's best to make them unique, special moments. And as special moments go, Cyborg Soldier happens to be one I personally enjoy. It's possible that he's one of my favorite bosses in the entire game. Methinks it will be fun revisiting him.
Until next time!
-Lance T.
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